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MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harvey Maurice Evers June 6, 1930 |
| Died | December 22, 2012 (aged 82)[2] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Rip Hawk |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] |
| Billed weight | 240 lb (110 kg)[1] |
| Trained by | Karl Pojello[2] |
| Debut | 1949[3] |
| Retired | 1982[1] |
Harvey Maurice Evers (June 6, 1930 – December 22, 2012) was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Rip Hawk. He began his wrestling career in the Mid-Western United States before joining Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the early 1960s. In the company, he teamed with fellow wrestler Swede Hanson as the "Blond Bombers," and the duo held several championships. In the 1970s, he worked as a booker in JCP.
Evers was born on June 6, 1930, in Indiana.[2][4] He was raised in Ohio.[2]
Hawk made his wrestling debut in 1949.[3] He began as an amateur in Ohio and was discovered by professional boxer Jack Dempsey, who convinced him to wrestle professionally.[3] His ring name came from a variety of sources: his sister called him "Rip" as a nickname, while a promoter gave him the last name "Hawk" due to his nose and his movements in the wrestling ring. His nickname, "The Profile", was taken from actor John Barrymore.[5] He began wrestling professionally in Ohio around his 18th birthday, and later moved to Chicago, where he trained for a year with Karl Pojello.[2] He also briefly wrestled in New York City.[2]
Hawk was soon drafted to serve in the Korean War. He joined the United States Marine Corps and continued to wrestle during his service.[3] He was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1954, believing he could make a better living from wrestling.[2] He competed in several territories after returning to the United States, including Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia, Iowa.[3][6] He later moved to Missouri, where he competed in St. Joseph and St. Louis. In St. Joseph, he had a scripted feud with Sonny Myers and Larry Hamilton.[3] He continued to move around and held his first championship, the NWA Rocky Mountain Heavyweight Championship, while wrestling for NWA Western States Sports in 1958.[7]
Hawk moved to North Carolina in the early 1960s, where he began competing for Jim Crockett Promotions, an organization run by Jim Crockett Sr. that promoted events in the Carolinas. He met fellow wrestler Swede Hanson and approached Crockett about forming a tag team with Hanson. Crockett agreed to the idea, and Hawk and Hanson began competing as the "Blond Bombers", named after their matching blond hair and their strength in the ring.[1][8] While competing in Australia, Hawk met manager Gary Hart. He approached Crockett and convinced him to bring Hart to the Carolinas to manage Hawk and Hanson.[9]
The team competed as heels (villains) and was unique for wearing suits to their matches, as most wrestlers did not worry about dressing like professionals outside of the ring.[8] They aroused anger from many spectators, some of whom threw acid or threatened the team with knives and guns.[10] They also had a following among some fans, and a fan club was formed for them at one point.[11] During interviews, Hawk spoke for the team while Hanson stood silently; Hawk occasionally insulted Hanson in the interviews, but Hanson did not respond.[8][12] The team competed in the Carolinas and Virginia, as well as touring overseas in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.[1][8][13]
Hawk wrestled in other territories, including Texas, where he held the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship and the Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship (the latter while teaming with Rock Hunter).[14][15] Nine of his championships came as a member of the Blond Bombers, however. Hawk and Hanson were booked in an angle to win their first title together, the Florida version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship, on August 3, 1965.[16] They combined to hold the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship on four occasions, which was the center of their feud with Johnny Weaver and George Becker.[17] They were also booked to win the IWA World Tag Team Championship on a wrestling tour of Tasmania.[18]
The Blond Bombers were involved in a series of unusual matches in Jim Crockett Promotions; they faced other heel tag teams, which was a rarity at the time because most promoters stuck to good versus evil storylines.[19] They competed against such teams as Aldo Bogni and Bronko Lubich, Gene and Ole Anderson, and Skull Murphy and Brute Bernard.[1] Hawk, along with Johnny Weaver, was also involved in booking, or scheduling, events in Jim Crockett Promotions, a task he took on in the early 1970s.[13][20] He also collaborated with Johnny Ringo to design the National Wrestling Alliance logo.[11]
In 1971, Hanson suffered a heart attack and had to take time off of wrestling.[21] Hawk competed as a singles wrestler and feuded with the Brisco brothers (Jack and Jerry). During this rivalry, Hawk held the NWA Eastern States Heavyweight Championship four times.[22] He was then paired with Ric Flair, who was billed as his nephew.[23] On July 4, 1974, Hawk and Flair were booked the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship.[24]
Hanson returned to wrestling but soon became a face (fan favorite) and feuded with Hawk. The former partners faced each other in tag team matches in which Hanson teamed with Tiger Conway Jr. and Hawk teamed with Flair. Eventually, the partners were dropped and the two faced each other in a series of singles matches.[25] Hawk left Jim Crockett Promotions permanently in 1975 due to differences with booker George Scott.[2][26]
Hawk then took on a new partner, Roger Kirby, with whom he held the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship twice over the next two years.[27] Hawk and Hanson reunited as a tag team in Texas, where they competed for NWA Western States Sports. In 1976 and 1977, they were booked to win the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship three times.[28] After their final title reign, Hanson left to wrestle elsewhere while Hawk continued to wrestle in Texas.[1]
Hawk and Hanson were inducted into the NWA Legends Hall of Heroes in 2007.[29] Hawk returned in 2008 to posthumously induct long-time rival and real-life friend Johnny Weaver.[30]
After retiring from wrestling, he moved to Hereford, Texas, where he lived with his wife, Kitty.[2] They have 2 daughters.[4] He worked as a personal trainer and wrestling coach at the YMCA in Hereford until 2011.[1][3][4] Several of his trainees went to the Junior Olympics and received athletic scholarships to college.[2]
Evers died on December 22, 2012.[2] He had suffered from cardiac problems prior to his death.[2]
Matches rarely put face against face, or heel against heel.
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Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Harvey Maurice Evers (June 6, 1930 – December 22, 2012) was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name, Rip Hawk. He began his wrestling career in the Mid-Western United States before joining Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the early 1960s. In the company, he teamed with fellow wrestler Swede Hanson as the "Blond Bombers," and the duo held several championships. In the 1970s, he worked as a booker in JCP.
The Blond Bombers is a name used by several tag teams in professional wrestling. The first team to use the name was the combination of Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson. It was later used by Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens, who began teaming in 1965. Larry Latham and Wayne Farris used the name in the late 1970s in the Continental Wrestling Association and, from 1979 to 1980, Stanley Lane and Bryan St. John competed as the Blonde Bombers while wrestling in Championship Wrestling from Florida. In the early 2000s, the team of Tank and Chad Toland appeared as the Blond Bombers in Ohio Valley Wrestling before changing their team name upon entering World Wrestling Entertainment. Each incarnation held title belts together at least once. Patterson and Stevens were inducted as a team into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006.
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes is a professional wrestling hall of fame that honors people who have competed or played other major roles in the NWA. Organized by wrestling promoter Greg Price, the hall is separate from the NWA Hall of Fame and is not officially endorsed by the company, but the NWA has given permission for the use of its name. An induction ceremony takes place at the annual NWA Legends Fanfest Weekend. In 2007, there were seven inductees in the inaugural class. Seven more honorees were added the following year, and another eight were added to the Hall of Heroes in 2009. The 2009 induction ceremony took place on August 7 and was hosted by Jim Cornette. Honorees are inducted for work in any area of wrestling, including competing in the ring, managing, refereeing, promoting, and announcing. During the ceremony, personalities from the NWA deliver speeches and present the inductees with plaques. These plaques have the logo of the NWA Legends Fanfest and are identical aside from the year of induction and the inductee's name. Many presenters have been involved in the inductee's career; for example, Gary Hart, who managed Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson, inducted both men, and Buddy Roberts was inducted by Michael Hayes and Jimmy Garvin, both of whom were fellow members of The Fabulous Freebirds. Inductees and other former NWA wrestlers are seated at tables with fans to provide an intimate atmosphere. Although most people honored by the hall attend the dinner and induction ceremony, some are inducted posthumously and others are unable to attend for medical reasons. Although most wrestlers are inducted individually, tag teams have been inducted together. Ole and Gene Anderson were among the members of the inaugural class; they competed together for many years as storyline brothers. The Fargo brothers (Don, Jackie, and Sonny), who also wrestled in tag team matches together despite not being related in real life, are scheduled to be inducted together in 2009. George Scott, inducted in 2007, and his brother Sandy, inducted in 2008, are the only true relatives in the hall. Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson, who competed as the original Blond Bombers, were also inducted together in 2007. Like most wrestling halls of fame, there is no physical building that houses the NWA Wrestling Legends Hall of Heroes.
Robert Fort Hanson (March 27, 1933 – February 19, 2002) was an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Swede Hanson. He spent much of his career wrestling as part of a tag team with Rip Hawk. Together, they held championships in four different promotions. Hanson and Hawk were villain wrestlers and competed against some of the most popular teams of their time. They later feuded with each other when Hawk found a new partner after Hanson suffered a legitimate heart attack. Hanson retired in 1986 and lived in South Carolina until his death in 2002.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.
